


Not A Consolation Prize

by watcherofworlds



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-09
Updated: 2016-06-09
Packaged: 2018-07-13 21:24:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7137818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watcherofworlds/pseuds/watcherofworlds
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first PeggySous fic.  This is also the first time I've written a fanfic in first person and present tense. Please let me know what you guys think!</p>
    </blockquote>





	Not A Consolation Prize

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first PeggySous fic. This is also the first time I've written a fanfic in first person and present tense. Please let me know what you guys think!

Peggy and I don’t celebrate V-E Day. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because we know too much about what that victory cost, but when everyone else goes out to parades and parties it’s business as usual for us. We stay in. We work-or try to. We don’t get always get a lot of work done when it’s just us. I think we distract each other.

“Did you know that Steve was technically Irish?” Peggy asks without looking up from the file she’s reading. It’s not as abrupt as it sounds-she always has Steve Rogers on her mind at this time of year.

“Really?” I ask skeptically. “Captain America was Irish?” Peggy nods.

“His parents were Irish,” she amends, “but he ended up being  American through and through. Sometimes I think he was more American than most of the nation’s population. I-” She stops mid sentence and studies my face.

“You’re hurt,” she says. It isn’t a question, but I shake my head anyway.

“You love him,” I say, trying to keep any bitterness out of my tone. That isn’t a question either.

“Yes,” she says, crossing the room to my desk. She pauses for a moment, then adds, “but that doesn’t mean that I love  _ you _ any less.”

“Doesn’t it though?” I mutter.

“ _ Daniel _ ” She says my name like a sigh, her tone both exasperated and pleading.

“Peggy,” I reply in a carefully neutral tone, not looking up from what I’m writing. She reaches across the desk and takes my hand. I keep writing, trying to ignore her, trying to pretend like I don’t feel electricity every time she touches me.

“Daniel,” she says again, and now the exasperation is gone from her voice. “Daniel, please.” She grabs my wrist, takes the pen from my hand, gently, and sets it on the desk.

“Daniel, please,” she says. “Look at me.” I do. I don’t want to, but I do.

“You are  _ not _ a replacement for Steve, Daniel,” she says fiercely, gripping my hands in hers. “You are not a consolation prize. I’m not with you because I can’t be with Steve. I’m with you because I want to be  _ with you _ . Steve was my past, but you… you’re my future.” She drops my hands, gets to her feet, and walks around to my side of the desk. I rise to meet her, bracing myself against the desk with one hand. She takes my hands again, holding me at arm’s length like she’s afraid to come closer.

“I don’t love Steve more. He’s...he’s gone,” she says quietly, her gaze boring into mine, “and I’m with you now. Doesn’t that count for something?” I stare at her until I can’t stand the distance between us any longer, then pull her close and kiss her. She pulls away after a moment, and I rest my forehead against hers, holding her like she’s something precious-which she is, at least to me.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I promise I won’t take my uncertainty out on you again.”

“See that you don’t,” she scolds, though her tone is playful and teasing. “I rather enjoy the fact that our relationship is the one thing in my life that’s going right. I don’t want that to change.”

“I don’t want it to change  either,” I say softly. “Least of all because of me.” I hear a commotion outside- footsteps, desk drawers opening and closing, excited voices chattering. Our coworkers are returning. Peggy pulls away from me and returns to her seat, holding my hand to maintain the connection between us for as long as possible.

“I love you,” I say as she releases me. She smiles and says, “I love you too,” and after that moment there is nothing else we need to say.


End file.
